Summary

This book offers sharp new insights into the acquisition and use of French as a foreign language. The authors are specialists in their particular theoretical paradigms and focus on morphology, morpho-syntax, syntax, discourse, as well as fluency in the French interlanguage from beginners to advanced learners with different first languages.

Review:

One of the qualities of the volume, in addition to the extensive bibliographies that accompany each chapter, is the generally thorough and clear exposition of the research questions, theoretical framework, and previous work that relate to each topic. Thus, the volume should be of interest not only to SLA researchers but also to practitioners in French language education and to those who teach research methods.

Dewaele succeeds in creating a collection that unites approaches that are often divergent. Impressively, the volume remains cohesive, and this cohesiveness is largely due to another feature of the collection that highlights it multidisciplinary goal.

- the French Review Vol 79:5. - Amanda C. Edmonds, Indiana University

Focus on French as a Foreign Language greatly contributes to our knowledge of student mastery of the various components of French at early and advanced stages of their learning. Both foreign language teachers and second language acquisition research can profit from the abundant data on the interlanguage (s) of students of French.

This well-written, detailed, and diverse collection of articles draws strength from the varied backgrounds and perspectives of its contributing authors. A definite must read!

- the Canadian Modern Language Review 62:3, March 2006 - Katherine Rehner, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Author Biography:

Jean-Marc Dewaele is Reader in French and Applied Linguistics at Birkbeck College, University of London. His research focuses on individual differences in second language production, linking linguistic and temporal variables with psychological, situational and sociobiographical variables. He is a co-editor of Bilingualism: Beyond Basic Principles (2003, Multilingual Matters) and is currently Scientific Commissions Co-ordinator and member of the Executive Board of the International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA).